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[sir_isaaclime]

We are a group of students at the University of Southern California in the Computer Science Game Development program working on our thesis project for our Master's degree. Our project consists of developing a computer game over the course of 2017-2018 school year. We are currently looking for artists of all kinds to help us with our project. Specifically, we are looking for 3D Modelers, Texture Artists, Concept Artists, and 3D Animators of all skill levels. Our current art style revolves around realistic human forms and proportions with a toon shading look similar to Breath of the Wild and lower-poly terrain and structures.

Embedded is a virtual-reality photography game developed in Unity about journalistic choice and how the media shapes public perception. In Embedded, the player takes the role of an embedded photojournalist covering American involvement in the Vietnam War. As the player, you ride along with a team of soldiers as they carry out missions and drive from town to town, while you document what you see with your camera. Sometimes you photograph refugees fleeing their homes and other times you photograph soldiers performing heroic acts. All of your photos portray some sentiment ranging from pro-war to anti-war. When it’s time to report back to your editor, you choose which photos to submit for publication. At the end of the game, you are presented with an article that has your photos in it. The choice you make about what to publish creates different tones of articles that reflect different attitudes on the war depending on the sentiment of your photographs. Embedded gives you the power to change how the narrative of the war is presented in the media. The game expresses what it is like to generate and publish news and make choices that ultimately decide how the public will feel: whether they see the war as a necessary and patriotic action or a haphazard and cruel one.

This project offers a great opportunity to be involved with a solid team working towards making a professional level game and getting your work in front of industry recruiters. At the end of the year at USC, we have Demo Day, where recruiters from many of the top studios come to find new talent. We currently have a great team of four engineers, three artists, and a composer. Of special note, Yael Swerdlow, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, is on board as a mentor to help guide us through what it is like to be a photojournalist in the real world. If you’d like to get involved and you don’t think you fit into one of the roles above, get in contact and we’ll try to find a place for you on the team. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

If you're interested please email me at joedavidwise AT gmail.com